Revealed: Lutfur Rahman provides free lunch for 600 at The Atrium

On Saturday 17th February ex-mayor Lutfur Rahman and his proxy candidate for the 2018 Tower Hamlets mayoral election Cllr. Ohid Ahmed hosted a lunch for 500 women and 100 men at The Atrium venue in Cheshire Street.

LW has previously revealed text messages stating that the advertised ticket price of £25 for the event was just for publicity purposes with the intent of getting round the Electoral Commission rules on election candidates being banned from ‘treating’ – providing any food, drink or entertainment to corruptly influence any voter.

There was no fundraising at the event. Guests had pledge forms but no special part of the programme was dedicated to fundraising.

A day or two in advance of the event Lutfur Rahman’s team delivered tickets to the people they wanted to invite. The attendees were not asked for any money to attend the event at any time despite the tickets being marked ‘£10 fundraising event’.

Lutfur Rahman

All about Lutfur

First person accounts of the event indicate that it was all about Lutfur Rahman with Cllr. Ohid Ahmed only playing a supporting role.

Lutfur Rahman was the main speaker at the gathering and mentioned the fact that Ohid is the best candidate. ..because Lutfur supports him.

Not a great speaker

Ohid Ahmed started his speech by saying that he was not a great speaker but Lutfur had said everything he wanted to say.

During the few minutes of his speech Ohid talked about why he is the best person – mainly this was because he had sacrificed so much for Rahman

A video documentary about Lutfur’s success and achievements was shown but this contained no reference to Ohid Ahmed.

Bodyguard or candidate?

Some of the women present were heard to remark that Cllr. Ohid seemed to be more like a bodyguard for Rahman than the candidate.

Rania Khan, former Tower Hamlets First councillor and Cabinet Member for Culture in Rahman’s administration also spoke, telling the audience how Ohid Ahmed was the councillor who had sacrificed the most for Rahman.

By all accounts the lavish free lunch provided was up to the usual very high standards of hospitality that supporters of Lutfur Rahman have come to expect.

Filing banned

Unusually for an event of this type filming was expressly banned by the organisers.

Note to new readers: Lutfur Rahman was dismissed from office in 2015 at the conclusion of an election petition and banned from standing for public office until 2020 as he had employed corrupt or illegal practices to get elected in 2014.

LW Comment

The Electoral Commission definition of treating is as follows.

“A person is guilty of treating if either before, during or after an election they directly or indirectly give or provide any food, drink, entertainment or provision to corruptly influence any voter to vote or refrain from voting. Treating requires a corrupt intent – it does not apply to ordinary hospitality.”